Chip and PIN cards

Chip/PIN, good. Travelex, bad. BTW, I was last in Europe in Sept. 2009, and I didn't have any trouble having my US credit card accepted (1x). I used it at a Bahn ticket automat. Since I don't drive, I don't worry about gas stations or toll booths.

The Travelex chip&pin cards will work at the automated machines you mentioned. The downside is that they have poor exchange rates and high fees. You'll have to balance the convenience with the added expense. Our old fashioned magnetic strip cards will work at most all merchants that accept credit cards.

What Lee said about Travelex. Toll booths and ticket machines, who knows, maybe fifty-fifty (anecdotal and heresay only, I always use cash). There aren't that many unattened gas stations, actually. Most are pay inside or at window where strip cards work fine. I spend about three months in europe a year and have easily driven over a hundred thousand miles there. I have never had a chip/pin card.

The only problem with American magnetic-stripe cards is that they usually won't work at automated pay terminals in Europe. Common examples are pay-at-the-pump gas pumps, ticket-dispensing machines in train stations, and automated credit-card-only lanes on toll roads. Your cards will be accepted by human attendants at such locations. Your American Visa/Mastercard will be accepted by any merchant displaying a Visa/Mastercard decal. They have no choice about it. Your magnetic stripe ATM/debit cards WILL work at European ATMs. The gripe about Travelex is the lousy exchange rate they give you. You'll save dough by just getting cash at ATMs. Bottom line is that you'll get by just fine in Europe without a chip/pin card.